HR Pufnstuf co-creator Marty Krofft has died of kidney failure at the age of 86.
Along with his brother Sid, the Kroffts created a vast world of children's television programming that dominated Saturday morning viewing in the USA and beyond.
Often referred to as "The King of Saturday Mornings," it's reported that Krofft died in Los Angeles - ironically on Saturday morning - surrounded by family and friends.
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HR Pufnstuf was a big hit here and in the UK as well as in the US and is regarded as both a cult classic and a groundbreaking show.
It starred Jack Wild as Jimmy, who was lured to Living Island by an enchanted boat. The villainous Witchiepoo controlled the boat with the aim of stealing Freddy, Jimmy's magic talking flute.
It was the first independent live-action, life-sized-puppet TV series, following on from the Kroffts' work with Hanna-Barbera's hit show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
Marty and his brother Sid, through their Sid & Marty Pictures shingle, produced family entertainment for more than 50 years, after becoming a household name in the 1970s.
Many of their shows didn't make it across the Atlantic, but they included The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Land of the Lost, Sigmund & the Sea Monsters and Far Out Space Nuts.
Marty Krofft also created primetime shows that included The Donny & Marie Show, The Brady Bunch Hour and Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters.
In 2018, Marty and Sid received the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and in 2020, they both received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Marty is survived by his brothers, Harry and Sid, as well as daughters Deanna Krofft-Pope, Kristina Krofft and Kendra Krofft, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
